


The Hardest Thing

by phoenixnz



Series: The Chronicles of Martha and Jonathan [23]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Episode Related, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 15:03:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13390359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixnz/pseuds/phoenixnz
Summary: The hardest thing is knowing how to deal with Clark's changing abilities.





	The Hardest Thing

Martha could not get the image out of her head. Of her teenage son, caught in the middle of an explosion, a huge fireball engulfing him. Had Clark been anyone else, he would be dead.

She remembered feeling the heat from the fire and Jonathan touching their son’s shoulder and recoiling. Clark had looked up at her, his green eyes huge. She could smell the burnt cotton from his jacket and her stomach had roiled with nausea, thinking how close it had come to disaster.

Yet it was something she was beginning to see a lot more in her son. He’d told her about the incident the night before when he’d stopped that kid from burning down the school gym. She’d once read a Stephen King novel that had included such an incident. 

She’d always considered herself extremely lucky to have such a wonderful son but after that night, he’d gone up in her eyes. Then for him to risk his own life saving Whitney Fordman from being burned alive in his truck; her son was a walking, breathing miracle. 

He could have been so many things. He could have used his abilities for all manner of things. The very thought of him using them to hurt others terrified her, but so far he hadn’t shown any inclination to do so. Jonathan had taught him the value of hard work and right from wrong. 

After Whitney had been taken away in the ambulance, they returned home and Clark began unloading the produce from the truck. Martha decided a cup of tea was in order to calm her nerves.

“You all right, sweetheart?” Jonathan asked.

She nodded. “I just … I can’t believe what just happened! I was so scared, Jonathan.”

“I know. But Clark survived being hit by a car going sixty miles an hour. This was …”

“This was a fireball. Jonathan, how are we supposed to deal with this? I mean, I’m proud of him for saving Whitney …”

“We’ll deal with it the way we’ve dealt with everything else that’s come up. Sweetheart, I know. There are times when I wish he was normal too, but he’s not. This … having these abilities, that’s normal for Clark.”

She knew she was freaking out. She remembered the last time she had freaked out over Clark’s abilities. That was when he was six and he’d discovered his super speed. He’d got himself lost and given himself a good fright. Not to mention her and Jonathan. 

The last thing she wanted to do was make him frightened of his own shadow, but this was something new. It was as if he was becoming invulnerable. 

Could anything actually hurt him? What kind of life would he have? How long would he live? Could he actually die? 

Jonathan was just as worried but had no idea how to resolve this. Martha had a point. If they let their fears show, Clark would never learn to adjust. Yet they couldn’t just act like it was no big deal either. 

Martha went out to put away the produce and Clark came in to change his clothes. He was quiet as he grabbed a cookie from the plate Martha had set out and took a glass of milk with him when he went upstairs.

Jonathan decided to call to George Fordman to check on Whitney. 

“George, it’s Jonathan.”

George’s voice sounded a little raspy and a little stressed. Jonathan had heard the man hadn’t been well lately. He knew thing hadn’t been great at the store, which probably didn’t help George’s stress levels. 

“Oh, Jonathan. We’ve just come back from the hospital. I don’t know how you did it, but thank you. I’m very grateful to you.”

“Is Whitney all right?”

“Oh, he’s fine. A few cuts and bruises but a good night’s sleep and he’ll be okay. Tell Clark, tell him thank you. He saved my son’s life.”

Jonathan heard the screen door hinges squeak and assumed Clark had gone out to the porch. He exchanged a few more words with Whitney’s father before hanging up. 

He went out to talk to his son, telling him Whitney was going to be okay.

As relieved as Clark appeared to hear that, he was worried about his mother, saying he’d really freaked her out.

“You also made her really proud.”

Clark went on to tell him that he’d woken up floating. Jonathan was careful not to add to his son’s worries even as he was honest with him. This was uncharted territory for them all. 

“I just wish it would stop,” Clark said morosely.

Jonathan didn’t know what to say to that. He wondered if perhaps Clark was still going through puberty and that was why the new abilities were beginning to emerge now. 

It hurt that this was something he could never really answer. The device from the ship hadn’t given any clues as to how they would use it or how he was supposed to provide answers to Clark’s questions. It was perfectly natural that he would be asking, now that he understood where he’d come from.

“I’m supposed to have all the answers and it kills me that I don’t. But, look, you gotta have faith that we’ll figure this thing out together.”

Clark looked at him. “I do,” he said quietly. “But this is happening to me, and I’m scared.”

That was the crux of the matter. This wasn’t something a normal human would ever experience. There were no textbooks, no websites which could help. There was no one in the world like Clark and that was the toughest thing about it. 

The only thing they could do was keep reminding Clark that they would love him, no matter what.

**Author's Note:**

> This ended up being a very short oneshot, based around the incident with Whitney's truck in season one, episode two. Sometimes Jonathan and Martha don't exactly deal well with Clark's abilities which can give a kid a complex, especially given how those discoveries come about.


End file.
